Mind Games
by James MacGowann
Summary: SG1 travel to a planet that appears to be a world belonging to an enemy they'd rather forget.
1. Prologue

**Mind Games**

**An Original Story Based off one of the Novels...not gonna say, it's up to you to find out which.**

* * *

**Prologue**

It was a battlefield, that was the only way to describe it. He had seen many of them in his career, and he thought that once he became a Brig. General, and more recently a Maj. General, that he'd leave them behind. Leave them for younger, stronger, better-suited people. Alas, that wasn't the case.

There were just too many of them and only one of him. He looked up, hoping to find some support, maybe an ally or two, but there wouldn't be any help, correction, could be no help. It was his battle to fight alone, and he feared he would loose.

It felt that for every one he dispatched of, another two came into sight, he could see no way to win, no way to escape the horror of what he was facing, except to surrender. That was exactly what George Hammond was considering when he heard a noise. It was what sounded like a knock, it came again.

Help! It had come at last! His prayers were answered. Putting down the pen and report he currently had to read and sign, he moved to the door of his office, shifting several piles of paperwork as he did so. Opening the door, he saw a young female Technical Sergeant standing outside. "Sir?" She asked. "You wanted me to remind you about the 0900 Briefing for SG-1?"

Looking at his watch, Hammond suppressed a start, knowing it would not be good for the woman to see her Commanding Officer startled like that. Some other Officers let their emotions out in such ways, but he wasn't that type of an Officer. "Thank you, Sergeant. Dismissed." He watched the woman nod, and turn before going back inside long enough to pick up his copy of the Mission Brief packet.

The four members of his flagship team were all present when he entered. Both Col. O'Neill and Capt. Carter stood to salute him, Dr Jackson simply offered a definitive nod. That pleased him. It wasn't long ago that the civilian didn't know how to act around him, and Hammond liked his people to not only know how he did things, but to be comfortable with it.

"At ease, people." He said to the two saluting Officers. "We all have a lot to get through, so let's make this quick. Colonel, your mission is standard Recon. Meet the locals, find out what they're like, and all that goes with it."

Jack groaned outwardly. "Again? Sir, can't we just find out what-"

Hammond cut him short with a look. "You do remember who asked us to evaluate the cultural and scientific aspects of the planets and people, right, Colonel?" He fixed the man with a piercing stare, before moving on. "Now, as I was saying. This mission is purely Recon. If you come up against heavy resistance, fall back and evacuate, is that understood?" Nods all round. "Good, now, Dr. Jackson...?"

The linguist stood up and picked up a small remote off the table. Flicking it, he called up the MALP's transmissions from the initial survey. "Okay, as you can see, there doesn't seem to be all that much activity around the Stargate, but that doesn't mean anything, as we've found out in past. That building on the extreme right of the picture as you look at it now appears to be of Greek origin, though I can't tell for sure." He sat down again and smiled at them all. "This should be fun."

Hammond nodded to them. "SG-1, your departure is in two hours. Good luck and God speed to you." He got up, signalling the end of the Briefing, and headed back to his Office, even as he heard the noises of the four people getting up and clearing away. Entering his office he took a deep breath and sat down behind the oak table, which was currently covered in paperwork. Back to the front-line. He thought as he picked up his pen again.


	2. Chapter I

**Chapter I**

Jack was in the Gateroom precisely two hours later. Lately, he had managed to figure out a way to skip out of most of the Quartermaster's Office paperwork. All he had checked out was his uniform, weapon, and GDO. The equipment in his pack he kept in his room on-base, he never needed to look into it, because he knew exactly what to find: spare set of BDU's, his personal gun, two extra clips, wash kit, and in a small compartment that only he knew about, bait. So he figured he'd never get to go fishing this trip, but that's when things always happened, when you figured they wouldn't.

Teal'c entered shortly after him, looking meaner than usual, and Jack wondered if it had been the 90 minutes it took the Jaffa to convince the Quartermaster that all his equipment was in fact necessary for the trip, or if something was just up. Possibly, he was just looking that way in case they came up against anything hostile. Or, more likely, he thought. The guy has that expression engraved onto his face by the Goa'uld.

Once they were all assembled in the Gateroom, with Daniel arriving last, still trying to cram one more book into his backpack, Jack looked up at the control room, to Sgt. Davis and gave him a nod. The Stargate ground into a low rumble as the inner ring started to turn. Jack was used to this by now, he simply moved with the vibrations in the room, letting them wash past him, while Daniel held onto a wall for dear life. Looking over the rest of his team, he saw mixed responses. Teal'c hadn't changed, not even moved, but then Jack supposed that not even a nuclear detonation could have shifted the big guy. Carter was less than pleased about the shaking room, but at least she was staying on her feet.

When the Stargate had made the lock, and the field of deadly plasma had collapsed back into the shimmering event horizon, Jack took the lead and headed up the ramp. Pausing for the briefes6t of moments to swirl his finger tips in the puddle, just to see the ripples expand, just like in real water, he stepped through. Sam right behind him, Daniel after her, and Teal'c brining up the rear. It was like that for most missions, mostly, he figured due to the fact that Carter was his XO, and as such was directly after him, and Teal'c always brought up the rear, in case there was trouble. Daniel just fitted himself into the middle.

When the Team emerged on the other side, they were greeted by a perfect day. Clear blue sky, bright sun, but too bright. And most of all..."Trees..." Groaned O'Neill. Daniel glanced over at him, frowning. Couldn't the man ever relax? It just seemed that on every mission he had to be the grumpy git. Putting the man's mood out of his mind, Daniel looked around, holding up his digital camera, seeing if there was anything of note. He surmised that there were lots of things to note, at least from the military perspective, but from his own archaeological, and cultural perspective he couldn't see anything immediately.

Jack moved up to him. "Yo, Danny...did ya hear what I said? Nothing here, let's head out. Teal'c found footprints on what could be a road, so we're heading to see what these people are like, fancy joining us?"

Putting his camera away, Daniel trotted to catch up with the others, Teal'c simply glanced at him, and then moved to the back of the group, while Sam shot him a small grin. They moved down the path for a while, and it didn't take him long to realise that they were headed towards the Greek-like building the MALP had picked up on it's first excursion here. That pleased him, because it meant that he could get a closer look, and confirm what he suspected.

It must have been an hour or so that they came to a large group of trees. With trunks that were larger in diameter than Daniel had ever seen. They reached up nearly 50 ft, if he estimates were correct. He had no idea how it had gotten to be so large, but maybe there was something in the water table that allowed them to grow to this size. Looking at Jack, he made a silent gesture. Frowning, Jack finally nodded. "Okay, folks. Let's rest here for a time, then we can move on out after some of us are feeling better.

It was a joke, Daniel knew that, but the jibe still stung. Was he really that slow? Was he really that much of a hindrance? Settling down next to a tree trunk, he fished out one of his books and flipped through it. He wasn't really reading it, just wanted something to do to try and take his mind off the worry that had been growing within him for a while.

"Hey, you okay?" Daniel looked up, and saw Sam walking towards him. Her face full of curiosity. She sat down next to him, resting against the tree.

Daniel smiled at her, and closed the book. "Hey Sam. Um, I'm fine, just a little frustrated, that's all." He paused, not sure how to phrase what it was he felt. There was some things to do with Jack, others to do with their situation in general, and something that was nagging at his mind, not quite reachable, but still there.

She nodded. "The Colonel's remark getting to you? Don't worry, he just strikes me as the type who doesn't like civilians."

"Or scientists." Daniel countered. "Remember his less than enthusiastic response to you?" He hadn't been there personally, but he had heard of it.

She smiled at him, and looked down at the ground, before glancing up at the Colonel. "Yeah, that's true enough. So, anything else bothering you? You seem slightly more put off than just a snide comment from a Colonel. Even if it is Colonel O'Neill."

Daniel paused before answering. What was it that was bothering him? After a time he shook his head and shrugged. "I'm not sure, exactly. I mean, it's like that feeling you get when there's a storm coming, but you don't actually know, just feel it, you know?" He looked at her, wondering if what he said had sounded completely crazy.

Sam never had a chance to respond, because it was then that Jack chose to sidle up to them. "Okay, campers. Time to move. I don't wanna be staying in one place for too long." Without waiting for a response, the man turned and headed off. Sam got up almost the instant he started speaking, and Daniel sighed, put the book away again and climbed to his feet, resigning to the fact that they would probably not stop until they came across something of interest to Jack.

The building in the distance was growing steadily larger as they approached it. Now, small things about it were becoming apparent to Daniel, like the fact that it was in fact a Temple, and a decidedly Greek one at that. None of his helped his nerves, which were becoming more agitated as they moved on, but he still could not pin them down to anything. It was as if his mind – or at least his sub-conscience – knew something that his cognitive mind just couldn't figure out. Sighing heavily, he trudged on after Sam, feeling more down than he had been before.

The sun moved across the sky as they walked, following a path that meandered through the forest, in what Daniel surmised was a rather un-Goa'uld like fashion. Looking at his watch, he realised that it was already two in the afternoon, and sweat was pouring off him in waves. However, they were moving ever closer to the Temple, which was where the road must have led, he realised with a start. Come on, Jackson! wake up. He mentally berated himself, wondering if he was starting to suffer in the heat.

After another hour or so, the Team finally broke out of the smattering of trees. that they had been inside during the entire trip from the 'Gate. The Temple rose before them with astonishing grace and beauty. It was an architectural marvel. A combination of Greek and Goa'uld styles that complimented and merged with one another. Daniel pulled his sunglasses off and just craned his head back, trying to see the top. "This is just..."

"Oh my…" Came the voice of Jack somewhere to his right. Drawing his gaze down towards the ground, Daniel decided to see if he could find the entrance. Walking slowly towards it, he studied the walls. He didn't see anything that immediately jumped out t him as the front entrance, so he slowly began to move around it, hoping to find something.

Before he could go too far, a voice sounded behind him. "Danny. Is that such a good idea? I mean...being Goa'uld and all?" Daniel ignored him. The man was always so annoying, questioning this, commenting on that, when he really had no clue what the archaeologist was doing, or even why.

As a rule, Daniel didn't do things to intentionally piss Jack off. That wasn't his style. If he wanted to, he could do it perfectly, knowing what made the man annoyed. Still, he didn't do that. Not on purpose anyway. He simply did what was natural, and that was to investigate whatever they came across, and right now, the Temple was something for him to investigate.

There wasn't much in the way of writing or inscriptions on the wall, nothing to denote whom the Temple was for, and he said as much. Jack grunted, Teal'c didn't even respond, and Sam just blinked at him. Sighing to himself, Daniel wondered if any of them would ever understand him. Wait. What was that? He leaned in closer, looking at the only inscription on the wall. "To enter..." He read.

Running his fingers over it, he realised that instead of being carved into the wall, it felt like it was something added, raised from the wall instead of recessed into it. Applying slightly more pressure, he jumped back in surprise as something clicked, and a section of the wall moved outwards, like a door. It's a mechanism…neat.. "I uh, found the door." He said, unnecessarily explaining the obvious.

Daniel stood back as Jack walked up to the new opening and pointed his weapon inside. "Wadda you think, Daniel?" The Colonel glanced to him, waiting for a response.

Daniel blinked in surprise. "What? Why are you asking me? You're in charge, aren't you? Or is this some sort of military thing, where whoever discovers something 'calls the shots' regarding it, as you often say."

Jack sighed and stepped away form the door. "Actually, Daniel. I was asking if we'd likely find a whole bunch of Jaffa in there, or maybe some Goa'uld System Lord who'll make us their new salves to do with as they please. Because neither option is pleasing to me."

Daniel shrugged. "You know as much as I do regarding this. Although, given the fact that there aren't that many carvings, except for the door lock, and the fact that it's not your usual Goa'uld-type door, I'd say this is the back entrance/exit, so the likelihood of coming up against heavy resistance immediately upon entering is rather small."

Jack nodded once, and gave a curt hand signal to Sam, which obviously meant something to her, as she nodded and came up behind him. The two officers moved slowly into the seemingly unlighted structure. Daniel looked once at Teal'c, who glanced back before following Sam. He heard the Jaffa enter after him, the guy's boots thumping heavily on the stone floor,

A low grinding noise alerted them to the fact that something was wrong. The archaeologist and linguist turned in time to see the patch of light vanish as the door slammed closed behind them. "Oh great..." Came Jack's sarcastic tone.


	3. Chapter II

**Chapter II**

"Oh great." Jack's voice sounded strange, almost disembodied, coming from everywhere at once. However, Daniel knew that it was just the nearly total darkness of the room, making things seem not as they should. That didn't comfort him any, in fact, it made him more nervous.

Two rays of light cut across the room in opposite directions, creating a crossbeam in the centre. He surmised that Jack and Sam had turned on the torches that came with their P90s. As much light as it was, it didn't help them with seeing anything. Until the room filled with light, spilling from all around, but not a specific point.

Looking around, blinking in surprise, Daniel saw Teal'c next to a control panel, which had very Goa'uld like controls on it. "Well, this place is definitely Goa'uld, and it looks like they've mixed it in with the Greek." Daniel said as he looked around the room, noticing some telltale signs.

There wasn't anything in the room to indicate what it might be used for, and Daniel even went as far as to assume that it didn't have any purpose other than a back entrance or exit to the Temple. He followed Jack and Sam, who had taken up positions either side of the entrance to the corridor beyond.

The two Officers shared some Military hand signals that Daniel wouldn't even begin to guess at. It was funny, he could decipher Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, even Babylonian languages, but this modern day way of speaking completely eluded him. For now. He made it his mission to understand it, know it, and be able to use it well.

He realised that while he had been thinking, the three of them were half way down the corridor, and he rushed to keep up. Jack shot him a withering look and made a gesture that Daniel understood perfectly 'Keep quiet!' Cramming himself behind one of the bulkheads that were spaced periodically along the long hall, Daniel watched them, wondering what they would do next.

What they would do next was answered for them. They could hear the unmistakable sounds of Jaffa, clomping along the hall in their big, heavy armour. Moving as far into the wall as possible, Daniel watched as Jack and Sam got ready to defend them all. The guards were reaching the bulkhead that they were hiding the other side of, and once they walked past they would be spotted. The Jaffa may be stupid, but they weren't blind.

Daniel closed his eyes, blocked his ears from the noise and braced himself, sure that now they were finished. History. Fate had decided that now would be their time to die. His only regret was that he'd never be able to save Shau'ri, or Skaara. He felt string hands clamp onto his shoulders. He cried out and tried to fend off his assailant, no matter how ridiculous it seemed. His failing hands hit something solid, but it wasn't armour.

Opening his eyes, Daniel saw something that was even worse than Jaffa, something he would willingly take on the entire Goa'uld populous to avoid. Jack glared at him with a murderous look in his eyes. On his cheek, a small bruise was forming. Daniel swallowed and looked at him innocently, but the man ignored it. Turning away he pointed. The Jaffa were walking away, from where they had come from.

"What happened? Did you guys manage to fight them off?" The look in Jack's eyes grew even fiercer, if it were possible, as he spoke. "What? Is it about the bruise? I'm sorry, I thought you were one of-"

Jack walked up to him and brought his hand up. It came down hard and clamped onto the scientist's mouth. "Shut up." Jack hissed into his ear. "First off, no. There was some message over the comm system that Teal'c says was calling them to the Throne room, and secondly your talking will alert them to the fact that we are here. Thirdly I do not want to speak about the bruise, understood?"

Daniel nodded quickly. The Colonel's hand was cutting off his breathing rather effectively, and Daniel felt that he needed to stay alive more then he needed to speak. When he felt the man's hand leave his nose and mouth, he coughed and gasped for air, but even that brought another glowering look.

The four of them followed the Jaffa silently down the hall, crouching and hiding when they turned corners, and always waiting before heading round themselves. It took a few minutes, but they finally reached the Throne room. Luckily, it was full of pillars in rows and columns, so the team could slip in the back and hide without being seen too easily.

Daniel peeked out and saw a male Goa'uld sat on the throne. At least the host was male, the symbiotes themselves were rather gender-less. The rest of the room was filled with Jaffa, unfortunately, he could not see a symbol clearly enough to figure out which Goa'uld they were probably dealing with.

The over dressed cliché, as Jack would call it stood up and smiled. "Jaffa." It called out in its usual guttural voice. "We have intruders on our planet. We must drive them out, in the name of our Goddess. Artemis!" Daniel hid back behind the pillar as the Jaffa started to file out. None noticed them, which was good, and he glanced over at Jack, who was scowling more than ever. Daniel couldn't blame him, not after what they had gone through at the hands of that evil, crazy woman.

The last of the Jaffa had left and even the Goa'uld was leaving the room, probably to do something towards catching them. He moved over to be closer to Jack. "Did you hear who he mentioned?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah. She's sealed, right? I mean, tell me that kid wasn't stupid enough to release her."

Daniel shook his head. "No, he knew what was needed of him, she's still buried. Sounds like we're dealing with a minor Goa'uld, serving Artemis, and doesn't know that she's…indisposed."

Jack looked at him in the way that only Jack could. "That pleases me. I'm glad we know what we're dealing with. Now can we work on getting out of here?" He turned to leave, but paused. "Daniel."

It was the two-syllable roadblock again, and this time he'd only managed to take a breath. The man was getting quicker. Unfortunately. He sighed to himself and followed Jack, Sam and Teal'c out of the room. "Which way." Jack asked no one in particular. Teal'c pointed down a passageway. "That shall lead to the main entrance."

Daniel watched as Jack glanced at the various exits to the room. "Teal'c. What is the likelihood of them watching the front door?"

Before the big guy could answer, Daniel piped up. "What? We can't just walk out, think of what we could do for the people on this planet if we kill the Goa'uld ruling here."

Jack glanced at him. "I haven't seen anybody here. Carter?" Even if Daniel knew he was right, it still irked him that he would ask for confirmation, but then again, he supposed that that was the military side of him. Wanting to double-check everything before proceeding.

Daniel tuned out to their tactical chatter. It was wrong. They should stay and fight, free the slaves of this planet. Even if they hadn't seen any, it wasn't any kind of excuse. If the Goa'uld and Jaffa were there, then there was someone to rescue. He was brought out of his reverie by a swat on the shoulder. Looking around, he saw Jack motioning him over to them.

Sighing, he climbed to his feet and joined them. Carter moved next to him, as Jack started to make those hand-signals again. In a low voice, she translated. "The Colonel and I are going down the right side of the corridor, you and Teal'c will go down the left. When we reach the guards at the door, we'll catch them in a cross-fire."

No argument, he had learned that much. When Jack was in military-hunter mode, he didn't take anything. Not a single thing. It was useless to try. Instead, he simply did as he was told. Following Teal'c down the corridor. It was decorated in the typical Goa'uld style, lots of gold, heavy carvings, and engravings.


	4. Chapter III

**Chapter III**

The team met no one as they made their way through the structure. Apparently, the Jaffa were out looking for them, not believing that they could have made it all the way into the Temple. Daniel didn't know if that was good luck on their part, or stupidity on the part of the Jaffa. He tried to keep track of the turns they made as Teal'c guided them. Left, left, right, left, middle-fork. After a while, he lost track of where they were going.

They came across the first Jaffa almost twenty paces from the exit. He fell under a small burst from a P-90. However, he was able to call out for help before death took him. The loud clump of boots filled the area. Flattening himself against the wall, Daniel pulled out his weapon, steadying himself for the upcoming firefight.

There were about five of them, maybe six. It was hard to focus once the firing started. The first fell to Teal'c's Staff Weapon. Another two were brought down by automatic weapons fire. Another turned to face him, weapon raised and took aim. Daniel reacted. He pulled the trigger and saw the guard fall back. Glancing around, he saw that the others had been dealt with.

Jack walked up to him. "Danny, you okay? Still with us?"

Daniel nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine…" He slowly put the weapon away. He had killed Jaffa before, especially on the initial mission to Abydos, but it got to him every time. He believed in peace, believed that people didn't need to kill each other, but then again…when it came to the Goa'uld, he shivered and edged away from the guards. Now was not the time for thinking. It was for running.

Their main objective was to get tot he gate, and get home. That much he knew as he ran for his life. The how of it was something for the Colonel and Sam to figure out. No doubt there would be guards around the gate, a great many guards, and it would be a 'tactical jam' as he had once heard Jack say. He would just do as he was told, and let them figure out how to get past uncounted Jaffa.

Instead of going straight down the path that they came along earlier, Jack led them into the tree line, hoping that it would slow down the forces pursuing them. Daniel crouched down, making himself less of an obvious target. His mind was still in turmoil, fuming at Jack's stubborn military ways, and yet understanding his reasons.

They heard a horn sound, not far off. It sounded like an old-fashioned foxhunt. Looking around, Daniel tried to figure out where they were. Jack pointed in a direction. "There. They're moving away, we may be able to make a break for it if we're lucky." He didn't sound too convinced about it, though.

Daniel glanced at him. Saw the look of resignation in his eyes. "You don't believe it, do you?" The man shook his head just barely. "Still going with the plan?" A nod. "Jack, we'll get out of this, we always do." It was odd, the humanitarian giving reassurance to the military commander, but there it was.

Jack looked at him, appearing to be trying to see what he was thinking. If he was honest with himself, Daniel was scared. Okay, yes they had escaped form situations like this before, but a situation that involved _her_, even if it was indirectly? The very thought of being put through another hunt chilled him to the bone. He could only imagine what Jack was feeling, or Sam. Teal'c would just accept it, that was part of his Jaffa calm.

It was a few minutes, while the hunting party spread out and then left the area that Jack rose, indicating them to follow his lead. When they left the cover of the trees, they stayed low, and close to the edge of the forest, so they could dart inside if need be. They were able to reach the clearing, where the 'Gate was visible without meeting anyone, which made Daniel nervous. Surely they knew where they were? They were stupid, but not that bad.

Looking out over the enclosure that housed the Stargate, Daniel didn't need to hear the colonel's muttered curse to know they were in trouble. He counted 15, maybe twenty Jaffa there, and no idea how many more were not in obvious view. It would be a miravle if they got back to Earth safely, and a bigger one if they did it without anyone getting injured. Sighig softly, Dabiel looked over at Jack. "Ideas?"

Looking left and right, Jack glanced at him. "None of them good. But, they are all better than staying here and getting..." He trailed off, and Daniel didn't offer any comment, just nodded. He knew what the man meant, anything hopeless plan was better than being caught by people loyal to that madwoman. Daniel shifted to get more comfortable. "So, what do we do? Attack from both sides? Maybe catch them off-guard?"

Jack looked at him, stunned for a moment. "What? You never thought I'd catch on to some of your ideas? I am observant, it helps with the profession. I just figured you'd like it." He tried not to feel too insulted, but he couldn't help it. Jack always thought of him as the geek, and he figured he always would be the geek, but he could at least try and think like him when it was needed.

Shrugging the comment off, Jack looked around. "Okay, you're idea seems the best one. Carter, you take Daniel and sweep around to the left. Me and Teal'c will do the same form the right. Hopefully we'll take them out before they take us out." Daniel nodded and looked to Sam for the specific instructions.

The journey around the edge of the enclosure was…interesting. They dodged to avoid two patrols, and buried their heads down to not be spotted by a third. Even with the small handful of missions they'd been on, Daniel was slowly getting the hang of it. The surviving part, at least. But then, he'd never be the military-minded person that Jack was, it just wasn't how his brain was wired.

Finally, they came parallel to the 'Gate, and in line with a position Jack had said he was at over the radio. That would put them just behind the guards, who were canvassing out the forest in front of them, not to their sides. Jack said he'd give the word for a 'co-ordinated attack' as he called it, so for now they'd just wait for his word. Either that, Daniel mused. Or the first lot of shooting that could be heard. It sounded like a P-90, with a lot of Staff-blasts, which meant that either Jack and Teal'c were taking down Jaffa easily, or, infinitely more likely, they were fighting back.

"_Damn it! Carter! They made us. Retreat into the woods and wait for my signal, do not engage. I repeat, do not engage."_ The signal cut off suddenly, and he had obviously gone back to defending himself.

Sam tapped his shoulder and nodded behind them with her head, meaning for him to follow her. He scrambled to his feet and heading backwards, keeping on eye on the clearing for Jaffa. The stun blast came from nowhere, it felt like an electric shock, only more intense than anything he had felt before. Falling to his knees, he heard a thud next to him, and guessed that Sam was down as well. He fell to his knees and lost consciousness before he could see what was going on around him.


	5. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV**

The first thing she noticed when she awoke was that every muscle in her body ached. Her head was throbbing in time with her heart, her legs felt like jelly, and her arms seemed far heavier than normal, or maybe she was just groggy. Rolling over onto her hands and knees, she lifted her head slowly, casting her eyes around the room. The military training in her mind immediately kicked in, automatically looking for anything that may tell her where she was. As it stood, there was nothing of tactical importance to note.

The other part of her mind, on the other hand – the scientific part – took in every single detail. The room was roughly 10 foot by12, maybe half again as high, with what looked like thatching on the ceiling. The walls were comprised of large pieces of flat, grey stone blocks, stacked one atop the other. There was but one entrance to the room, a door way, about three feet wide, and seven high. It looked like it went into a short passageway, which led outside. She couldn't see much form her current vantage point, but she could see what looked like gravel.

That was confirmed by the sound of footfalls coming form outside. Whatever was out there was walking on the gravel. She climbed to her feet in an instant, lightly stepping over to press herself against the wall next to the 'door.' The sound of the steps indicated they were bipedal, humanoid – or at least the same height and weight – and moving in her direction. She checked herself for a weapon to defend herself with if necessary. Her P90 was gone, that alarmed her more than a little, but her hunting knife was still strapped to her side. Sliding it out of its sheath, she held it with the blade running along her arm.

The footsteps changed. Whoever it was, was no longer walking on gravel, instead it sounded like wooden floor boards. She silenced her breathing and made herself as flat as possible, ready to pounce. Whoever it was that was coming inside paused for a brief moment at the entryway, she could hear the soft breathing, the shifting of weight form one foot to another. Then they moved into the room. Her body coiled before she could stop it. Her mind processed the information before her in time to realise what was going to happen, but not fast enough to do a thing to stop it form happening.

Her feet moved, bringing her up behind the person in front of her. The arm with the knife came up and around their throat. Her mind was shouting orders, but her body was on automatic, not listening. Finally, as a last attempt to stop what was happening, her mind called up the voice that could override any thought. _Captain! Attention!_ Thankfully, the voice of her commanding officer sounding inside her head was enough. The arm dropped away, the knife fell to the floor, her legs snapped together, and she looked sheepishly at her Commanding Officer, whom she had just attacked and almost hurt.

The colonel was stunned for a moment, to say the least. His expression ranged from fear, to anger, confusion, concern, and finally settled on a combination. "Um, Carter? What's with the knife?" He bent down to pick it up and hand it back to her. She took with a steady hand, which is not what she was feeling.

On the outside, she was steady, firm, the perfect soldier. Inside, she was shaking. Her mind a tangled web of thoughts. What if it hadn't worked? What if she hadn't been able to stop herself? What would have happened if she'd…? A more important question floated through her consciousness. Why had she acted that way? There hadn't been any serious danger. She knew he hadn't been a Goa'uld, or Jaffa, or anything that was severely hostile. So why had she jumped on him the way she did?

She took a deep breath to stem her thoughts. He had asked a question, and he expected an answer. "I'm sorry Sir… I thought you were… never mind." She shook her head, not understanding it herself, and so not being able to explain it to him. Sighing in frustration at her own unhelpfulness, she shrugged. "I was jumpy." She said, lamely. The words echoed in her own ears, and she heard the poorness of the excuse, and was expecting a berating for it. That was how he'd come across all the times they'd been in the field together. Instead, what she heard next almost knocked her off her feet. "Okay. Say, Carter... shouldn't you be resting? That was one hell of a hit we all took."

She couldn't believe it! Colonel O'Neill, the same Colonel O'Neill who had finally accepted her in his team, if not liked her in his team, was telling her have a break? Go sit, rest. It was very odd. She shook her head. "No, thank you Sir. I really should be getting on with my job, which is what I'm being paid for." She had phrased it deliberately, wanting to hit home to him the _reason_ behind what she was doing, rather than just what she was doing. Taking his reluctant nod as a cue, she turned and left the room, stepping out into the bright day.

The sky was a perfect Cerulean Blue. Not a cloud could be seen from horizon to horizon. It looked like the perfect day back in Colorado Springs. The ground and surroundings were the only evidence that they were elsewhere. Apart from the look of the place, it sounded so different. No noise, whatsoever. No birds, no animals of any kind. Not even the sound of wind. It spooked her. Unnerved her. It made her skin itch. Like on TV, when they take all noise off, except for the sound of someone walking, it heightened the drama. It felt like someone was trying to do that here.

Shaking her head to dismiss the idea, she turned her attention to the buildings and grounds. The gravel stretched as far as she could see – which unfortunately was not far, with all the buildings dotted around – it was almost like chippings, as if someone had carved up stone blocks and scattered them all over to make a surface. The buildings were large, simple, and they looked abandoned. All in all, it appeared to her to be a farm. There was even a wooden cart on its side.

"Captain Carter." The deep voice made her jump. She hadn't heard Teal'c approach, even on the gravel. She supposed that that was his gift. He'd made one hell of an operative for Covert Ops, if he wanted it. "Did Colonel O'Neill not express his wish that you rest?"

God! Him too? She wondered if there was a problem, or if it was just the usual male testosterone flying around. Would Daniel be the same? She didn't know, but she wanted to find out. Looking at him, she gave a small nod. "He did, thank you."

"Are you not going to observe his wishes?"

She chuckled slightly. 2No, Teal'c I am going to do my job. Just like the Colonel's doing his, and your doing yours. Is Daniel about?" The big guy didn't respond, he simply pointed. Sam smiled her thanks and headed off in the direction he had indicated, at an easy jog. She was fine, a little groggy still, but she supposed that that was from whatever had sent the electric shock through her.

Rounding the corner of a broken fence, she saw the linguist hunkered down, staring at a wall. Coming closer, she saw that it was covered in carvings. "Hey Daniel." She got no response. Gently resting a hand on his shoulder, she still didn't get anything. "Daniel?" She waved a hand inn front of him, worried now. She knew that he could get absorbed into his work easily, but it wasn't usually _this_ hard to bring him out of it.

He looked at her with a soft, dreamy expression. Blinking several times, he finally focused on her. "Oh, hey Sam. You okay?" It certainly sounded like him, he didn't have that 'more concerned than normal' look that Jack had given her. She smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks. Say, um… did Jack act stranger than usual when you came around?"

Daniel glanced back the way he had come. "Yeah, now that you mention it. He seemed way more worried about me than he usually does, he tried to suggest that I sleep, or something, but then I saw this," he waved at the wall. "And that was it, you know?"

Sam nodded. "He was the same with me, I don't know if it means anything, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on him, Teal'c too." She leaned in close to him, and dropped her voice to barely a whisper. "I suggest you do the same."

Daniel smiled at her, took his glasses off and fished out a cloth form a pocket. "Sam." He said, cleaning them. "I always keep my eyes open." He grinned at her, and she smiled back.


	6. Chapter V

**Chapter V**

The first thing he noticed when he awoke was that every muscle in his body ached. His head was throbbing in time with his heart, his legs felt like jelly, and his knee was just killing him. He'd have to ignore it, 'cause he wasn't taking any medication for it. No sir. Sitting up he held his head in his hands. God, it was worse than hangover. He lifted his head slowly, casting his eyes around the room. The experience had gained allowed him to sum up his surroundings very quickly.

The room was stone, 8, maybe ten feet by 10, or maybe 12. Probably 15 or sixteen feet high. The walls were made up of stone slabs placed in neat rows leading up to a roof made of thatch. He got to his feet and checked himself. There were no apparent injuries, despite his aching bones. He realised with a frown that he was unarmed. That wasn't good. He did realise that conventional weapons would probably only get one of them killed, based on his past experiences of the woman they were dealing with, but he still felt odd without it.

Moving as silently as he could, he proceeded towards the only entrance into the room. Looking outside, he squinted in the bright sunlight. If he wanted sunshine, he'd have stayed in Colorado. There was beautiful weather there, and he didn't need to get shot at to experience it. Sighing, he moved out and onto the gravel, casting his gaze around, he couldn't see any signs of his team. All he did see were the run-down buildings of a planet he'd rather forget. Sure, he was no architect, but he could recognise it, and recognise it he did. It was the same sort of architecture that had appeared on the mad woman's planet.

He limped across the gravel, trying to hide it as much as he could. Growling under his breath, he wished that he could just get another knee and be damned with it. However, that kind of surgery would put him in an office, pushing papers somewhere. Paperwork was _so_ not what he wanted. He hated it, avoided it as much as he could. Coming around the grounds, he saw Sam and Daniel sitting by a wall, and whispering to each other. Teal'c was stood not far off, watching the area outside the main fence. If one could call what remained of it a fence.

Walking up to the Jaffa, Jack cocked his head in the direction of the two by the wall. "Hey T. They okay?"

Teal'c looked at him, with that impassive scowl that meant bad things. "I do not believe so. Major Carter was… persistent that we not disturb you, stating that you required rest and sleep. Finally I complied with her wishes."

Jack grunted. It wasn't like her to be that worrisome. He wondered what was up. Turning, he limped rather painfully over to the wall, trying hard not to think about the last time he'd damaged his knee while at her mercy. He didn't know why, but the thought of going through another hunt sent a bone-deep chill down his spine. Out of reflex, he checked his neck, feeling for another collar. Thankfully, there was none. He arrived at the wall, and looked down at them. "What we got, Captain? Some weird alien language?"

Sam shot up to her feet at his first word, looking over critically. "You shouldn't be up with that knee, Sir. Go. Rest." He raised an eyebrow at her tone. Since when did she give him orders? She always seemed so… not quite docile, but near enough to it. He took a moment to study her, her expression and her eyes. They both looked so stern, so unforgiving.

He took a second to collect his thoughts. She had thrown him off with her statement. "Excuse me, _Captain_. I give the orders here, now, what is this fascination you have with making me rest?" He stared her down, not taking his eyes hers. They blazed with a fierceness that he recognised. It was the look he had seen on the hunt. On the first trip to the Godforsaken place that had twisted their minds. A part of him, that part that hadn't fully recovered from being the "prey" wanted to back down, surrender, and flee. He didn't let it.

Finally she blinked and looked away. He wondered if she was reverting back to the psyche that had been imposed upon her. If it was, then he was in real trouble. Looking down, he saw Daniel watching them, not doing anything, just watching. It scared him, if he was truly honest. They were both acting like… well, predators. One challenged the poor sap who had wondered over, while the other watched, looking for weaknesses.

Taking a breath, he took them both in with a glance. "No more sitting. We're moving out. I don't wanna hear it!" He snapped, as both Carter and Daniel opened their mouths to offer protest. "We need to get out of this place. Now. Move!" He put in as much authority in his voice as he could muster, hoping it would make them do something.

They both looked at him for a moment, and he seriously thought that Carter would hit him, the way she was glaring at him, but she turned and stalked off. Daniel climbed to his feet, giving Jack one last glance before following. Taking a calming breath, Jack limped back to Teal'c, knowing all to well how lucky he was, if indeed they were being affected again, somehow.

Passing Teal'c, he shot the guy a look that was heavy with meaning. Teal'c nodded once, and followed the two scientists, leaving Jack to mull it all over in his mind. He didn't like it, not one bit. It bothered him severely, and he didn't like being bothered by things. Especially when it was his team. Increasing his stride, he caught up to them and took the lead, wondering if they would be able to do anything if Carter and Daniel decided that they would attack. Was Teal'c on top of his game? Was he feeling off as well? It all circled around his head, like a fly he couldn't swat away. Finally, he decided that if something did happen, then he would do the best he could, and with his injured knee, and possibly being compromised by the wicked witch of the west, he knew that it wouldn't be much.


	7. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI**

She was getting really concerned now. She could understand the colonel's wish for them to stay in a secure area while she was unconscious, but now she was on her feet, shouldn't he press on? Try and find some way out of the chaos that they had found themselves in? Was he just not caring? Or… The thought had struck her some time ago, and it bothered her greatly. His actions and his decisions spoke of a desire to do nothing, to just sit and wait. That was not the Colonel O'Neill she had gotten to know.

Was he someone how being affected by something? She recalled that while under the influence of Artemis's collars, they had been turned into what they feared the most. For the Colonel that had been helpless. Useless. Prey. That was how he was acting now, and it worried her severely. Because if the Colonel could act that way, was it possible that they all were? Well, she and Daniel would probably be showing more aggressive tendencies if that were true, and she certainly wasn't feeling the need to go o9ut and hunt something.

She was however, feeling the need to go off and find a way out. Was that bad? She shook her head. No, it couldn't have been. It was normal for her. She was military. Trapped on an alien environment, it was her training to get back home. No matter where she could be trapped, either another country or a planet, it the training of every soldier to seek a way home. Getting up, she walked over to the colonel, who was currently lounging against the hut that she had woken up in. "Um, Sir?"

He raised his hand to her. "Hey Carter, come and sit down, you must be tired after all that walking around you were doing." He shifted over and patted the ground next to him. She decided that if she was going to try and convince him, then she would need to comply at least a little.

Sitting down, she shifted her weight to compensate for the lower centre of gravity. Putting her head back against the wall, she looked up the perfect sky again and tried to hear something. There was still nothing. It just seemed… odd to her, that there would be no sounds, other than those that they made. "Colonel, don't you think we should be getting a move on? We need to be finding a way home, and we can't do that when we're sitting on our behinds, can we?"

Jack sighed heavily, as if he didn't really want to talk, just sit. "You know, Carter, you're over-thinking does sometimes annoy me. We're in a beautiful place; can't you just for once unwind? Take the rod out and stop being so stiff." He stretched out, crossing his legs at the ankles.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, it sounded like he had complimented an alien planet. That _was_ erratic behaviour. Getting up, she walked away from him, skirting around where Teal'c was, and headed straight for Daniel. He was busy using a piece of chalk to draw on the wall what looked like a map of the farm. "Planning something?" She asked, sitting next to him and getting comfortable.

Daniel merely grunted and tapped the wall, at a point she knew was on the other side of the compound. "There." He looked over his shoulder slightly at her. "I'm guessing he didn't like the idea?" He said, now talking to her and using a cloth to wipe his hands clean.

Sam shook her head sadly. "No, it's making me worried. What if he's acting like he did last time? Could we deal with that?"

Daniel's eyebrows moved up and down, and then settled into that classic Daniel frown. "I don't know. I mean, if he is acting like it, do you have any authority to do something about it? I'm not up on the military ways, so I wouldn't know what to do."

Sam thought heavily. Under normal circumstances, there wasn't anything she could do, but could she claim medical incompetence? Simply take Daniel and head back, get a Medical Team together and come back for them? Would they even be alive? It was a sticky situation. One she did not like, but one she had been forced into. She ran the situation over in her mind. Looked at it from all ways. In the end, she could see no true escape. Going without them could cause some serious reprimand issues, maybe even a court-martial, but then, if it got them back safely, she'd brave it.

Looking over at Daniel, she sighed heavily. "Okay, I say that if we head out, get back to Earth and come back with reinforcements, then we can get them out and hopefully avoid any serious repercussions. It's risky, however."

Daniel nodded. "We really don't have much choice, though, do we?" His expression told her that he already knew the answer, and was just confirming. She looked back at the map. "Where are we?" He pointed. "You said something about here." She indicated where he tapped the map earlier. "Were you planning on this before I came over?" His sheepish expression told her that he had more of a tactical mind than any of them had given him credit for.

She glanced back at the Colonel, who hadn't moved. Then at Teal'c. He wasn't doing anything, just standing, trying to look like he was busy watching. Tapping his shoulder, she motioned to Daniel to be quiet. Crouching down low, she moved around the building, keeping it between them and the others. "Okay. Our exit is that broken gate. We'll need to run. Wait for me to reach there then give it a count of five."

Peeking around the corner at the Colonel, she waited until she was sure that he wasn't [paying any attention, and took off. Keeping her head low and moving as silently as she could on the gravel. It wasn't hard, but she had reached the gate, and thus the tree-line without anyone calling after her. Dropping to her knees, she looked back. He hadn't even moved an inch. Teal'c was still doing whatever it was he did.

She could see Daniel preparing himself for the sprint. The whole scene seemed to slow down for her. She watched Daniel took off, just as Jack moved. He followed the linguist for a second, and then their eyes met. She stared into his expression, and saw the confusion there, but only for a moment. Daniel had reached her, and she spun on her heel to dart into the confines of the trees and out of his line of sight. They ran for a time she couldn't count, and then stopped, breathless. Daniel staggered to the ground, gasping for breath.

Sam looked back the way they had come, wondering what Jack would do. Would he come after them? Or just sit there and shrug it off? She couldn't guess at this point, but she needed to work under the assumption that he would be after them. To do anything else now would be stupid. They had had the advantage of surprise, but that was lost. Now they had distance. They couldn't loose it. She gave Daniel as much time as she dared before dragging him to his feet and heading deeper into the forest.


End file.
